80 November 2020 FourFourTwo
“WhenwesawRoberto,weunderstood
thata lotofinterestingthingsweregoingto
happen,”saysGadzhibekov,thentheyoung
hopeful.“Itwasthebeginningofsomething
wecouldn’thavedaredtodreamofbefore.”
RobertoCarloswasinfluentialinKerimov’s
project– somuchso,Anzhi’sownergifted
hima £1.2millionBugattiVeyronforhis38th
birthday.“Butit usedsomuchpetrol,”the
BrazilianlamentedtoFFTrecently.“Notlong
aftergettingit,I gaveit backandweagreed
toputitsvalueinmycontract.”
Suddenly,thetinyclubwasearningglobal
attention,andKerimovmadesurethatallof
hisplayersgotthemessage.InMay2011,he
tooktheentiresquadona privateplaneto
Wembley,towatchtheChampionsLeague
finalbetweenBarcelonaandManchester
United.Hewantedthemtoexperiencethe
atmosphereandaspiretoreachthatstage
themselves,soonerratherthanlater.“I’m
a Unitedfansotheresultwasdisappointing,
butthetripwasphenomenalforeveryone,”
remembersGadzhiev.
Thatsummer,anothersuperstar– thisone
somewhatyounger– wasaddedtotheranks.
SamuelEto’owasonly 30 whenhewaslured
toDagestanfromInter,reportedlybecoming
theworld’shighest-paidplayeron€20mper
year.Anzhiwerenowexpectedtorivalthe
traditionalpowersofZenitandtheMoscow
clubsforRussia’stitle,havingalsomanaged
tosignrisingPSVwingerBalazsDzsudzsak
andAnderlecht’sDutch-Moroccanplaymaker
MbarkBoussoufa,plustwomoreBraziliansin
DiegoTardelliandJucilei.
Kerimovunderstood,however,thatit would
benearlyimpossibletopersuadehigh-profile
playerstoliveinMakhachkala.So,hemoved
theteamnorth-westtoMoscow– nofewerthan 1,000 miles away as the crow flies. In
Russia’s capital, plush training facilities were
provided at the stadium formerly belonging
to defunct club Saturn Ramenskoye. Anzhi
had to take a long flight for each and every
home game, but their players weren’t exactly
miffed about it.
“It was an absolute paradise,” recalls Joao
Carlos. “The whole plane was first class, with
those huge seats that look like beds, and we
could enjoy a complete buffet on every flight.
I’m not sure if even giant clubs like Barcelona
and Real Madrid ever had anything like that
on the way to matches.”YOU SAY HELLO, THEY SAY GOODBYE
Not everyone was happy, though. Anzhi fans
were unsurprisingly somewhat bitter about
their distant idols.
“That was probably the one negative aspect
of the whole project,” says journalist Batyrov.
“The supporters didn’t like that the squad
only came to the city a day before matches
and left straight after. Rival fans said Anzhi
were just another team from Moscow. But it
was the only option to satisfy the foreigners.”
“It’s true that fans would have preferred
the players to live in their own town,” explains
Kairav Kagermanov, Anzhi’s former press
officer. “They wanted to attend the training
sessions; chat with their beloved stars; take
photographs with them. The fact that they
all lived in Moscow was rather disappointing.
However, on the other hand, players weren’t
the only ones to fly frequently. Kerimov also
arranged free planes for Dagestanian fans,
so that they could travel to away matches
and support the team without having to pay
for the privilege.”THE AnZHI EXODUS
When Kerimov withdrew his financial support in 2013, it sparked a frenzied summer sale of expensive talent
WILLIAN
Anzhi bought the winger
in January 2013 after he
won four Ukrainian titles
and the UEFA Cup with
Shakhtar. In August, he
was off. “It’s a pity that
a player of his talent
can’t move to a better
league,” said Spurs boss
Andre Villas-Boas – who
swiftly saw his deal for
Willian hijacked, Chelsea
helping Anzhi to recoup
the €35m they had paid.
SAMUEL ETO’O
The striker won trebles
at Barcelona (2009) and
Inter (2011), and Anzhi
made him the best-paid
footballer on Earth after
signing him for €25m
from Italy on a princely
€20m wage. Eto’o went
on to hit a respectable
36 goals in 73 matches
before Anzhi’s dreams
died, then joined Willian
at Chelsea for free. Nice
work if you can get it.LASSANA
DIARRA
Having been linked with
Spartak Moscow over
the summer, he ended
up at Anzhi on deadline
day in 2012, claiming
Eto’o had suggested it.
The Parisian journeyman
relocated to Russia from
Real Madrid for around
€6m, but lasted only
one season at the club.
He got a Moscow move
eventually, to Lokomotiv.CHRISTOPHER
SAMBA
Anzhi offered Blackburn
£12m for Samba back in
February 2012, handing
him a £100,000 weekly
salary. In a bizarre turn
of events, he joined QPR
in 2013 (for £12.5m)
then returned to Anzhi
five months after that
(for, er, £12.5m). Weeks
later, he left for Dynamo
Moscow after Kerimov
dropped his bombshell.ALEKSANDR
KOKORIN
After notching double
figures with Dynamo
Moscow in 2012-13,
Kokorin had his release
clause fee increased to
€19m. That July, Anzhi
triggered it. The bullish
goal-getter was injured
upon arrival, however,
and sent back to the
capital barely a month
after putting pen to
paper. Appearances: 0.IGOR DENISOV
Like Kokorin, holding
midfielder Denisov was
sold the same summer
he joined Anzhi – but at
least played three times
before departing. Amid
all of the chaos, Anzhi
sent the volatile Russian
off to Dynamo Moscow
alongside Kokorin and
Yuri Zhirkov, where he
would be transfer-listed
for “interfering with the
coach’s work”. Naughty.AnZHI
MAKHACHKALAbusiness – he was considering buying Roma.
Now he had an opportunity to do something
very special in his own republic.”
Magomed Batyrov, a Dagestani journalist
writing for newspaper Dagestanskaya Pravda,
believes a well-lavished compatriot may have
unwittingly played his part.
“There was already the example of Roman
Abramovich, who made huge headlines after
taking over Chelsea, and Kerimov probably
wanted to follow suit,” suggests Batyrov. “He
could have gone for Roma, but ended up with
Anzhi for free. Patriotic feelings were possibly
a factor as well; Kerimov did indeed become
very popular in his homeland.”
The local lad wasted no time in revamping
Anzhi. He inherited a club that struggled to
buy basic equipment, but sunk outrageous
investment into the side to turn it into one of
the most expensive projects in world football.
Brazilian centre-back Joao Carlos was the
first foreigner signed in the Kerimov era, and
he highlights the metamorphosis. “When
I arrived from Genk [in January 2011], there
were no proper kits for the players and they
were wearing shirts of different colours,” he
tells FFT. “The first thing on my mind was to
go back to Belgium, but then Roberto Carlos
came in and within 24 hours the owner had
bought new training stuff. Then they built
a brand-new stadium from scratch, and the
same with a hotel, made just for us.”
Luring Roberto Carlos to Anzhi the following
month was a major statement. Granted, he
was 37, with his best days well behind him,
but never before had a star of such calibre
arrived in Russia – let alone Dagestan. Here
was a world champion, a Real Madrid legend
who had won the Champions League three
times, ready to play for Anzhi Makhachkala.
Right Contrary to
common opinion,
Roberto Carlos and
his fellow Anzhi
stars gave their all